Automatic loop regulating mechanism for full fashioned hosiery machines



NV- 20, 1934- K. R. LIEBERKNECHT.

AUTOMATIC LOOP REGULATING MECHANISM FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSlERY MACHINES Filed Nov. 11, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 #WMM INVENTOR KARL RICH. LIEBERKNECHT ATTORNEY` NOV. 20, 1934. K, R. |EBERKNE|I1T v 1,981,054-

AUTOMATIC LOOP REGULATING MECHANISM FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY MACHINES Filed Nov. l1, 1953 K 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR KARL RICH. Ll EBERKNECHT ATTORNEY RR Patented Nov. 1&0,y 1934 PATENT oFFlcE 1,981,054 AUTOMATIC Loor aEGULA'rmG MECHA- NISM FOB FULL MACHINES FASHIONED HOSIERY mi n. ueber-knecht, oberlungwitz, Germany,

assignor to Kallo Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 11, 1933, Serial No. 697,556 In Germlly March 13, 1933 3Claims.

This invention relates to means for automatically controlling the mechanisms of a full fashioned hosiery machine which determine the length of loops and also the corresponding perations of the knock-over bits.

During the knitting of a full fashioned stocking several changes in loop length are required. These changes are eiected through the agency of cams of different heights and contours on the main cam shaft in conjunction with a loop regulating shaft provided with levers operated by the cams referredto, which levers in turn control those movements of the needle bar which affect the length of loop. Other mechanisms generally similar in character control the operation of the knocking-over bits.

Heretofore it has been the practice to throw these various levers into and out oi operation manually generally by moving rollers thereon into or out of engagement with their particular cams. To effect such manual adjustments the machine must be at rest whenever a change is required. Failure on the part of the operator to make the change at the proper time or error in making the change has resulted in the production of much imperfect fabric with consequent loss and sometimes serious damage to the needles and other delicate parts of the machine. The object of this invention is to eliminate the human equation and make sure that the necessary changes are made correctly, and at the proper time through the automatic operation of the machine itself. In this way errors are eliminatedvand the productve capacity of the machine speeded up since it is unnecessary to stop it while the adjustments are being made.

Another object of this invention of great practical importance is the positioning of the controlling parts where they are readily accessible to theoperator. This is important because it results in the saving of considerable time when readjustment of the controlling mechanisms becomes necessary to adapt the machine to the knitting of another type of hosiery, for example. Furthermore, this4 invention makes use to the greatest possible extent of with which the machine is already provided, thus maintaining the already highly complicated machine as simple as possible. For example. the

timing of the controlling devices may be conl trolled from the pattern chain with which all full fashioned machines are equipped, and the usual loop regulating shaft is also retained and functions in the usual way. The same `is true of the means whereby the knocking-over ybits are operated. The controlling means is altered but the mechanism in general is unchanged.

The nature of the invention will be more fully understood from the following drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation showing two different types of mechanisms for controlling the loop regulating shaft;

Fig. 2 is an end view along the line 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 3 is an end view along the line 3 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 4 is a similar view along the line 4 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a means 70 for controlling the operating mechanismof the knocking-over bits.

As will be seen from 1 the main cam shaft l of the machine is provided with the usual cam 2 for operating a pattern chain 3 through the 75 medium of a roller 4 mounted upon one end ofv a pivoted'lever 5, the other end of which connects with a bell crank 6.v This, in turn, operates pawl 'I to rotate ratchet 8 attached to the sprocketby means of which pattern chain 3 is driven. It will 8G be understood, of course, that any other suitable means for operating the pattern chain may be employed. i

Main camshaft 1 is also provided with the usual loop regulation cams such as 9 and 10, and 35 also with a cam 1l. Cam 11 has a working sur face l2 of the desired contour and an idling surface 13 of uniform diameter. Associated with cam 1l is a. roller 14 slidably mounted upon a shaft 15 so that it may be slid into engagement gg with either -the working surface 12 or the idling surface 13 of cam 11. One end 0f shaft 15 is mounted on one end of the lever 16, the other end 17 of which is suitably pivoted upon some suitable part of the frame. Roller 14 is also provided 95 with a collar 18 with which a yoke 19 or other suitable device engages for shifting roller 14 into and out of working engagement with cam 11. Yoke 19 is mounted upon the end of an arm 20,

the other end ofwhich connects with a rod 21 100Y slidably mounted in suitable bearings 22. The other end of rod 21 connects with one end 23 of a bell crank 24, the other end 25 of which is in operative engagement with the pattern chain. Pattern chain 3 is providedwith buttons 26 which 105 may be positioned so that they will engage with end 25 of bell crank 24 at the desired times to rock the bell crank and, through rod 21 and arm 20. engage roller 14 with the working surface l2 of'cam 11. When a lbutton 26 passes from under 110 end 25 of bell crank 24 the bell crank rocks in the other direction causing roller 14 to move out of engagement with the working surface of cam 11 and into engagement with idling surface 13 of that cam. Therefore, whenever a button 26 passes under end 25 of bell crank 24 lever 16 will be rocked through cam ll and roller 14. AAt other times it will remainidle since roller 14 is running upon the circular portion 13 of the cam.

Lever 16 'is provided with a pawl 27 by means of which a ratchet wheel 28 mounted upon a shaft 29 is operated by the rocking of lever 16. Thus the rotation of shaft 29 is Controlled from cam 1l.

The main cam shaft 1 carries the usual main loop regulating cam 9 which operates in thewell knownway through a roller30 to rock an arm 31.

loosely mounted upon loop regulating shaft 32. Arm 3l is maintained in contact with another arm 33 by means of a suitable spring or other- Wise, so that the rocking of arm 31 will correspondingly rock arm 33. Arm 33 is xed to loop regulating shaft 32 so that this shaft is correspondingly rocked by the rocking of arm 33. The movement thus imparted to shaft 32 produces a corresponding rocking of lever 34 also fixed to shaft 32, and through this lever the needle bar is moved through the agency of connecting links which are well known and, consequently, need not be described.

Loop regulating cam 9 may be provided with the usual working surface 35 and an idling surface 36. When this cam is to assume the loop regulating function, lroller 30 is caused to engage with its working surface 35. At other times roller 30 rides upon the circular idling surface 36 of cam 9.

Shifting of roller 30 from one surface to the other is effected automatically by means of this invention. As shown in Fig. 1 roller 30 is slidably mounted upon a shaft 37 held by the forked end of arm 31. Also mounted upon arm 31 adjacent its forked end is a bell crank consisting of an arm 38 engaging with a collar 39 afxed to roller 30 and an arm 40 connected through a universal joint 41 to a lever 42 pivotally attached to another lever 43 also mounted upon arm 31. The other end 44 of lever 43 engages with a cam 45 on shaft 29. Cam 45 is of such a contour that when end 44 of lever 43 rides upon its high part roller 30 will be moved into engagement with the working surface 35 of camv 9 whereupon' this cam will assume the loop regulating control. When end 44 of lever 43 isin contact with a low part of cam 45, roller 30 is moved out of engagement with working surface 35 of cam 9l and runs upon idling surface 36. Therefore, it will be seen that the operation of cam 9 as the loop regulating means is directly controlled by cam 45 on shaft 29, and that the operation of this cam is in turn controlled by cam 11 as operated from pattern chain 3.

Control mechanisms similar to that described in connection with cam 9 may be applied to other loop regulating mechanisms associated with other loop regulating cams. In this way full automatic control of loop length may be secured through the usual loop regulating cams and levers, the various cams being thrown in and out of control by automatic shifting mechanism described.

Another form of mechanism for controlling the loop regulating shaft'is shown in Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 4. In this a sprocket 46 replaces the cam 45 employed in the mechanism heretofore described around which passes a pattern chain 47, the other end of which is carried by/a suitable idler sprocket 48. Pattern chain 47 is provided with suitable buttons 49 which may be positioned to meet any particular loop length requirements. A lever 50 similar to lever 43 already described, vexcept that one end 51 is adapted to be operated by the .buttons 49 instead of by a cam like 45, is mounted upon forked arm 51 which is similar to forked arm 31 with the exception that it is usually fixed to loop regulating shaft 32. Loop regulating cam 10 on main cam shaft'l and similar to cam 9, except in its contour, is thrown into and out of operation through the sliding of the roller 52 into and out of engagement with its working surface in a manner and by means similar to that employed in shifting roller 30, that is to say a bell crank 53 one end of which with a collar 54 associated with roller 52, the other endl connecting through a universal joint 55 with a lever 56 which in turn connects with lever 50. These parts are so arranged that whenever lever 50 is rocked by the passage of a button 49 beneath its end 51 roller 52 will be slid into engagement with the Working surface of cam 10. When button 49 passes'from under end 51 of lever 50 roller 52 Will be shifted back out of engagement with the working surface of cam 10. Since sprocket 46 is mounted upon shaft 29 the operation of pattern chain 47 will be controlled from pattern chain 3 and cam 10 will be under control of both pattern chains, an extremely flexible arrangement. Therefore, through the position of the buttons 26 on pattern chain 3 the contour of cam 45 which, of course, may be varied as desired and the position of the buttons 49 on pattern chain 47 either cam 9 or cam 10 may be made to assume the control of loop length at any desired time absolutely automatically while the machine is in operation.

The cam control described in connection with cam 9 or the pattern chain ycontrol described in connection with cam 10 may, of course, be employed throughout or in any desired combination. Either is entirely satisfactory, but the pattern chain has the advantage of greater flexibility since a greater range of adjustment is possible through varying the positions of the buttons upon a chain which may be of any necessary length, than through the substitution of cams nating in a cam roller 58 to an operating cam 59 on the main cam shaft 1. Roller v58 is slidably mounted on a shaft 60 so that it may be engaged or disengaged with the working surface of cam 59. Engagement and disengagement of roller 58 may be effected through a forked bell crank 61, the forked end of which connects with a collar on roller 58 and the other end 62 is in the path of a cam wedge 63 mounted upon a rod 64 adapted to slide in suitable bearings such as 65. End 62 of lever 61 is so positioned that when cam wedge 63 is in its lowermost position roller 58 is in engagement with the working surface of cam 59 CII engaged from the working surface of cam 59. The shifting of roller 58 may be accomplished by means of a pattern chain 67 operatedbyasprocket 68 also keyed to shaft 29. Through the agency of a rock lever 69 one end of which is connected to rod 64 and the other end of which is suitably positioned to engage with the button '70 on pattern chain 67, rod 64 and consequently rod 63 may be longitudinally shifted at any desired time and this also results in the shifting of roller 58 as described. vSince sprocket 68 is mounted on the same shaft as the other sprockets and cam of the other control mechanisms it is evident that the operation of the knocking-over bits may be regulated automatically through the combined functioning of pattern chain 3 and pattern chain 67, thus giving great flexibility of control through the flexibility of adjustment of these two pattern chains. It will be understood, however, that in place of the pattern chain control of the knocking-over bits a cam control may be substituted similar to that shown for loop regulation in Fig. 3, the only change required being the substitution of a cam generally similar to cam 45 for sprocket 68 and pattern chain 67 and modifying the shape of lever 69 to adapt it for cooperation with the cam. It Will also be understood that with respect to the knocking-over bits the control may be duplicated, as in loop length regulation, to accomplish any desired variations in their operation or that a single control mechanism may be made to function for two or more variations simply by associating it selectively with two or more work'- ing cams. Any of the controls herein described may be accomplished through cams or pattern chains or both, mounted upon shaft 29, all of which are automatically operated while the-machine is in motion through the usual pattern chain 3.

What I claim is:

1. In a flat knitting machine having a main cam shaft provided with a multiplicity of loop length varying cams spaced along it, a rockable loop regulating shaft, rock arms on said loop regulating shaft corresponding in number to said cams and a roller on each of said rock arms slidl ably engageable with the corresponding cam; means for shifting each of said rollers into and out of engagement with its respective loop length varying cam consisting of a shifting linkage between each of said rollers and a. corresponding operating means on an auxiliary cam shaft positioned at the front of the machine adjacent said rollers on said rock arms and so as to be readily accessible and observable, and means for rotating said auxiliary shaft in timed relation to the knitting.

2. In a at knitting machine having a lmain cam shaft provided with a multiplicity afloop length varying cams spaced along it, a rockable loop regulating shaft, rock arms on said loop regulating shaft corresponding in number to said cams and a roller on each of said rock arms slidably engageable with the corresponding cam; means for shifting each of said rollers into and out of engagement with its respective loop length varying cam consisting of a shifting linkage be-` tween each of said rollers and a corresponding operating means on an auxiliary cam shaft positioned at the front of the machine adjacent said rollers on said rock arms and so as to be readily accessible and observable, and means governed by a pattern chain for rotating said-auxiliary shaft in timed relation to the knitting.

3. In a at knitting machine having aI main cam shaft provided with a multiplicity of loop length varying cams spaced along it, a rockable loop regulating shaft, rocl; arms on said loop regulating shaft corresponding in number to said cams and a roller on each of said rock arms slidably engageable with the corresponding cam; means for shifting each of said rollers into and out of engagement with its respective loop length varying cam consisting of a shifting linkage between each of said rollers and a corresponding operating means on an auxiliary cam shaft positioned at the front of the machine adjacent said rollers on said rock arms and so as to be readily accessible and observable, and means governed by a pattern chain for rotating said auxiliary shaft in timed relation to the knittingwhich consists of a cam on the main cam shaft, a rockable arm provided with a roller adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with said cam, a pawl on said arm in constant engagement with a ratchet wheel on said auxiliary cam' shaft, and linkage between said pattern chain and said last mentioned roller for shifting said roller into and vout of engagement with its cam also in timed relation to the knitting.

KARL RICH. LIEBERKNECHT. 

